THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1036, 27 January 1911, Page 6

THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.

■* ' NINE-MONTH FIGURES. - •A SLIGHT BETTERMENT. The Gazette of last night contains details of the public accounts for tho quarter ended December 31 last (the third quarter of the financial year, 1910-11. Tho quarter opened with a balance m hand of .£265,30(1. Tho revenue amounted to ,£2,975,780.. .The expenditure amounted to .£2,832,200 (including .£IOO,OOO transferred to the Public Works Fund); so that the quarter ended with a final balance of ,£-105,940.

The revenue was thus made up: Ordinary revenue, ,£2,937,824; territorial revenue, i£2,075,750. Tho ordinary revenue consisted of the following (tho figures for the corresponding quarter of 1910—October 1 to December 31—are given for purposes ofcomparison) :— 1909 1910 Quarter, Quarter. -C £ Customs 055.512 803,509 . stamps 349,027 112,801 Post and Telegraph 73,272 82,198 Land-tax C00.U95 001,005 Income-tax 2.95G 2,530 Beer duty ; 33,70(5 31,911 ■Railways 793,099 855.570 Registration, etc. ... 12,539 1G.241 jiarine 10,400 12,027 Miscellaneous ...... 55,393 55,082 .£2,023,506 <£2,937,824 The revenuo shows an improvement for the quarter of .£314,238, the chief increases being: Customs, J;118,057; stamp duty (nmount not available);.railways, ,£92,171 (mainly duo to increased charges). The bulk of tho increaso is thus duo to increased taxation and increased railway rates. . The expenditure, apart from the .£IOO,OOO. transferred to Public Works Fund, consists of—Permanent appropriations, .£1,203,800; annual appropriations, ",£1,468,319. The permnnent appropriations show an increase (over the 1909 quarter) of .£105,014. The increaso in the Departmental, expenditure (Annual Appropriations) was ,£100,817, as compared with the 1909 quarter. The chief heads of expenditure under tho Annual Appropriations were: Railwavs, .£617,321 (increaso of .£47,220); Post and Telegraphs, i£21G,061 (increaso of £51,941); Education, ,£201,861 (decrease of .£31,705).' There was an increase in the expenditure of all Departments, with .(he-exception of the Departments of Justice, Agriculture, and Education. • For the nine months (April 1 to December 31) the figures, as given in the "Gazette/' are as in the following abstract, .which show? the 1909;' figures also:

: , .NINE. MONTHS' REVENUE... e ' 1900.'' 1910. Ordinary revenue ... 6,325,808 6,999,333 Terrtdrial revenue ... 119,503 119,250 Endowment revenue... . G7.142 55,802 Recoveries 656 12 Total income ... ■£0,513,409 i:7,204,457 NINE MONTHS' EXPENDITURE. (Exclusive of P.W.F. Transfers.) • ■" 1909. 1910. £ .£ Permanent approp.... 2,666,788 2,935,622 Annual approp. 3,849,913 4,059,210 Total exp. v .£6,516,701''£0,991,832 The revenue for the' nine months (.£7,204,457) was therefore .£209.625 in excess, of tho revenue- (Jt0,994,53 *. Tho' 'revcrfue and expenditure for tho first nine months of the liscal year (April 1 t<,i March 31) are as follows for.recent years:— Revenue. Expenditure. v £ £ 19034 -....•..■.-.'.:.. 4,855,520 4,783,680 1904-5 5,025,626. . 4,980,629 . 19U5-6 5,213,012 5,245,991 190G-7 5,820,060 5,509,626' 1907-8 6,307,101 5,876,613 ' 1908-9 ;...... 6,421,028 6,451,930 1909-10 - 6,513,109 6,516,701. 1910-11' .•..„;;.. 7,204,457 6,994,832 In tcvea-years the revenue for tho period increased'by jC2,345,931, and the expenditure, increased by .€2,211,152.' Dur-ing:'4he-past four: years .the increase of revenue lor the nine months has been .£1,378,397, and tho increase of expenditure .£1,425,208..

The Public Works Fund opened with a balance of .£184,559. The principal- receipts, were, from (debentures under theAct. of' last year amounting to ,£872,550. Tho sum of ,£602,047 was spent in' works, tho chief items-being: Railways, .£351,152; public buildings, ..£138,946.; roads, .£53,139. Tho'balance.on'Decembor 31 was .£555,117.